Liturgies

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

The Most Holy Eucharist

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.”

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated Monday – Friday on school days at 7:15AM in the chapel. All are invited to participate. Mass is also celebrated each Wednesday after school at 2:45 PM. All students are welcomed!

Mass is celebrated with the entire student body on a regular basis. It is for us the celebration of our unity as the Body of Christ. We welcome to these celebrations those students and faculty who are not of the Catholic faith to unite with us in prayer, even though we cannot invite them to receive communion.

Mass Readings: You can prepare for Mass, by reading the Scripture readings beforehand. Click the link to view the readings for the day: Mass Readings.

Liturgical Ministry Roles

The Celebration of the Liturgy, or Mass, requires a variety of ministries of service for its reverent celebration. Catholic Students are invited to take on roles of Service at the celebration of Mass for our community. Many students have already fulfilled these ministries in their Parish Church. Interested students should make themselves known to the School Minister.

Readers: The ministry of Reader at the Liturgy is very important. Saint Paul said to the Roman community, “How can they believe if they have not heard?” The Reader proclaims the Word of God to the assembled followers of Christ, out of their own lived faith experience.

Proper preparation, through personal prayer and study of the Scriptures, on the part of the Reader is essential to effective proclamation. The Reader at Mass proclaims God’s Word as well as their own faith.

Altar Servers: The primary role of the altar server is to assist the priest in the celebration of the liturgy during Mass. This is done through specific tasks such as holding the Sacramentary for the prayers and assisting at the Altar. The servers also assist the assembly of the faithful by their good example by their own active participation at Mass by joining in the hymns and prayers.

Liturgical Music: Students who would like to minister as singers and instrumentalists for Mass and for the religious events of the community should speak with the School Minister.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Members of the Faculty and Staff who serve as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are called by their very ministry to form their lives in the image of Jesus Christ whom we revere as present in the Blessed Sacrament. The Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion assists the priest with the distribution of Holy Communion at Mass when there are not sufficient Priests or Deacons, who are the Ordinary Minsters of Holy Communion. Adult Faculty and Staff are commissioned by the Archbishop of Philadelphia for specific service at Monsignor Prendergast and Archbishop Prendergast High School.